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| Tip of the hat to +S Robertson |
I remember working on crime maps that Tuesday morning and being told a plane had hit the WTC. I turned the TV on in my Captain's office (he wasn't in yet) and was watching the live coverage when the second plane hit. I called out to my Sergeant we needed to suit up (we worked in civies) as this was no accident - 30 seconds later the announcement came over the intercom - we were going from the South Bronx to the World Trade Center.
I drove the van that day filled with 8 cops and a sergeant. I drove down the FDR until it stopped moving, down avenues, streets and even sidewalks. Saw a homeless man and a business man directing traffic on Houston Street - the businessman's briefcase lay atop the homeless man's shopping cart. The City, New York City, has a habit of pulling together when things are at their worst.
We got as far as City Hall Park, right near the Brooklyn Bridge before the sea of humanity stopped us. I've never seen such a mass of people in my life, all heading north to go uptown or east to cross into Brooklyn. I didn't initially see Tower 2 come down - I felt it. The van shook and I looked out the windshield to see Tower 2 coming down like a house of cards. "Of fuck! Oh fuck! Oh my fucking God!" are the words I've been quoted as saying.
The number of people killed that day is staggering and I counted myself blessed that I only directly knew one person lost that day (Paul, we miss you every day - keep rolling 20s my friend) but the truth is 9-11 has been a long term killer. Cancers, lung disease and other ailments have been killing people almost daily in the 14 years since then. I myself came down with cancer a few years after 9-11 (and thankfully I'm still here.)
If you are religious, please pray for those that we lost and those that are sick from the events that happened 14 years ago. If you aren't religious, kind thoughts and words do a fine job too.
God bless.
Tenkar
(back to normal posting with the next post - thanks for taking the time out of your day to remember)
Thanks for your service, and for sharing that memory.
ReplyDeleteErik, I watched the events of that day safely from the other side of the Atlantic with my mouth agape. Knowing that people I "know" (however indirectly) are here to share their experiences helps keep it alive for me and my children, so we can all work towards it never happening again.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to NY, but I thank you for your service too...
Tragic for those who lost loved ones.
ReplyDelete